Telephone-exchange apparatus



(No Model.)

T. A. WATSON.

TELEPHONE EXCHANGE APPARATUS.

Patented June 26, 1883.

n Wl/l/l/l/II/z.

easy. WI/l/l/ Wit 00.55%: Q Zrzve'nZZW: amafao'n/ V j? S N. PETERS.Phulcrlflhoyiphen Wuhmgmm DJ;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS A. WATSON, or EVERETT, MASSACHUSETTS.

TELEPHONE-EXCHANGE APPARATUS.

- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 280,266, dated dune26, 1883.

w Application filed March 9, 1882.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS A. WATsoN, of Everett, in the State ofMassachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement inTelephone-Exchange Apparatus, which improvement is fully set forth inthe following specification. Y I

In the central offices of exchange systems it is customary to employflexible conductingcords for making connections between two subscriberslines and betweena subscriber s line and instruments at the centraloffice, and it is necessary, in performing the business of a centraloflice, to make a great many such connecat the central office, as shownin Fig. 2.

tions and to employ a large number of such conducting-cords, inconsequence of which the cords are liable to become entangled, creatinggreat confusion and impeding the business of the office.

The present invention has for its object to obviate this difficulty; andit consists, first, in an automatic take-up or device for automaticallytaking up the slack in the several conducting cords; and, second, in thespecial means employed-win, a weighted pulley or movable weightsuspended in the loop or bight of the cord.

In the accompanying drawings, which form apart of this specification,the invention is shown embodied in the key-board in connection with akey-board apparatus such as described in my application No. 7, 976,filed April 20, 1880, of which the present application is a division,Figure 1 being a front view of the switchboard Fig. 2, atransversevertical section of the same; and Fig. 3, a top view of the key-boardwith conducting-cords.

The springrjacks O and indicators B (one for each subscribers line) aresupported on shelves of the frame A, and normally grounded The key-boardE is supported on a shelf or table, D, forming part of frame A, butcould be on a separate table, if desired, The two sets of black keys k kare connected in pairs through their back contacts, (1 d, by wires 6,and the white keys 0 0 are connected to ground. With each of the blackkeys k k is connected a conducting-cord, g or 9. These cords connectwith the keys underneath the table and pass up through holes therein,and are fastened at their (No model.)

free ends to switch-plugs h h. In the bight or loop of the cordsunderneath the table D are suspended weighted pulleys z i, the object ofwhich is to keep the cords taut while the switchplugs are in use, and toreturn the latter, when disconnected, to their proper position on tableD. A transmitter, T, and receiver R and a battery, X, in separatebranches, are shown connected in circuit with the conducting-strips f fwhich form the front contacts of the keys k k. The front contacts of thewhite keys 0 c are connected each with the conductingstrip on itsopposite side. 1

When a subscriber-say on line No. 1-has called the central office, theoperator inserts one of the left-hand plugs h in spring-jack No. 1. Theblack key 71, corresponding to the switclrplug used, is depressed,bringing in receiver R and transmitter T, (the switch S being placed inproper position,) and the circuit completed to ground by depressing key0. After ascertaining with whom the subscriber wishes to communicate,the operator calls up i the station wanted by inserting the righthandswitch-plug h in the proper spring-jack, depressing keys is and c andswitching in the battery. By simply releasing the keys 7d and c, the twosubscribers are left in communication with each other. When thesubscribers have finished conversation, it is only neces-' come kinkedor wound about others, even when they overlie them.

Although the invention is illustrated in 0011- ,nection with theparticular apparatus shown, its use is not limited thereto, for it isobviously applicable to central-office systems in which the connectionsare made by flexible conducting-cords on a switchboard of any ordinaryor suitable construction.

Having now described the said invention 2. The combination, with aseries of switch- 15 plugs and flexible conducting-cords, of movableweights suspended in the bights of said cords, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification, in the presenceof two subscrib- 2o ing witnesses, this 14th day of February, A.

THOMAS A. WATsoN.

Witnesses:

Lnwrs RICHMOND, CHARLES M. Woon.

